Sonepur/Sambalpur: Even as farmers in different parts of western Odisha have been cribbing about delayed tokens and other procurement issues, some traders are brining paddy from other districts to Sonepur. Some millers are allegedly buying outside paddy at under rates, a report said.
According to the report, traders are buying paddy at low rates in other districts like Bhadrak, Boudh and Nayagarh.
Following such allegations, the civil supplies department has been on its toes. It has started raids in various areas.
A team of officials led by district civil supplies officer Bishnu Prasad Supakar raided Patabhadi and Kalapathar Tuesday. They seized two trucks laden with paddy late Monday night.
It was learnt that one of the trucks was carrying paddy from Nayagarh to Bargarh. Another was carrying paddy from Kantamal area of Boudh district to a rice mill in Sonepur. This has revealed the mess in the paddy procurement in the district.
On the other hand, the government has laid stress on smooth paddy procurement so that farmers do not face any problem in their respective areas. Despite all this, paddy being brought from other districts has added to the problems of the farmers in Sonepur where most of them fail to dispose of their paddy in mandis, it was alleged. The civil supplies department has registered a case in this regard.
Meanwhile, a report from Sambalpur said, even as paddy procurement is under way in Sambalpur, paddy from other districts is landing at market yards in the district.
Such allegations made by farmers in different areas had come out in media earlier. About 70 per cent of the paddy has been procured, but the administration has now woken up to this problem.
A special squad recently formed to check supply of paddy from other districts seized a truck carrying 541 sacks of paddy at Jujumara late Tuesday night. The seized paddy sacks have been unloaded at a rice mill at Batemura. An official said there was no valid document for the paddy loaded in the truck.
PNN
